Closing in on $1 Billion

By Todd Northrop

Across the United States, lottery tickets are being sold at a frantic pace that the state lotteries are struggling to keep up with.

Most of those sales are for the multi-state Mega Millions lottery game, which features a jackpot reaching into stratospheric heights only seen once before in world history — and a lump-sum cash value worth more than a half-billion dollars.

Just a day after the jackpot was raised to $900 million, the state lotteries have once again raised the official Mega Millions jackpot estimate for the Fri., Oct. 19, drawing to $970 million, with a lump-sum cash payout of $548.6 million.

And it may not stop there.

Players should watch for further jackpot increases before the Friday drawing. Long lines of ticket buyers across the nation are generating lottery ticket sales at unprecedented levels. Players are strongly urged to avoid waiting until the last minute to buy their their tickets.

The Friday Mega Millions winning numbers will be published at USA Mega (www.usamega.com) live as they are drawn. Lottery Post will also publish the winning numbers live — go to your state lottery results page for the drawing results.

The drawing happens Friday night at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific Time).

Players looking for the nearest official lottery retailer — or maybe just a different store without such a long line — are urged to use the free Lottery Places app available for iOS, Android, and Windows. The app can find lottery stores in every Mega Millions state and can search across state lines — something even official state lotteries can't do.

Michigan lottery players can bypass the store completely and buy their Mega Millions lottery tickets online.  Players outside the USA can try their luck with a reputable butler service.

Friday's jackpot started at $40 million on July 27, and is the result of 24 drawings with no jackpot winner.

When nobody won the jackpot on Tuesday night, the initial estimate for Friday's drawing was established at $868 million, the game's all-time high. Less than 12 hours later, that estimate was raised to $900 million. And now, less than 24 hours after the last increase, the state lotteries have again raised the official estimate, this time to $970 million.

And it's still possible the official estimate will be increased again before the drawing Friday night.

Mega Millions jackpots start at $40 million and roll until the jackpot is won. Players win the jackpot by matching five numbers from a field of 70 numbers and one Mega Millions number from a field of 25 numbers. Drawings are conducted each Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 Pacific Time).

Combined with Saturday night's $430 million Powerball jackpot, players have $1.4 billion in lottery jackpots to play for this week.

All information about game rules, past drawings, statistics, news, and more can be found at USA Mega (www.usamega.com).  The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States' two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.

Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Friday's Mega Millions jackpot currently stands as the 2nd-largest lottery jackpot in world history.  That position may rise before the drawing, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.

1. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $970 million, Oct. 19, 2018 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
3. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 - Massachusetts
4. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
5. Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 - California, Georgia
6. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 - Florida
7. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Arizona, Missouri
8. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
9. Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 - New Hampshire
10. Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 - California
11. Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 - Indiana
12. Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 - New Jersey
13. Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 - New Hampshire
14. Powerball: $456.7 million, Mar. 17, 2018 - Pennsylvania
15. Mega Millions: $451 million, Jan. 5, 2018 - Florida
16. Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
17. Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 - California
18. Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 - Indiana
19. Powerball: $430 million, Oct. 20, 2018 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
20. Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 - New Jersey
21. Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 - California
22. Powerball: $420.9 million, Nov. 26, 2016 - Tennessee
23. Mega Millions: $414 million, Mar. 18, 2014 - Florida, Maryland
24. Powerball: $399.4 million, Sep. 18, 2013 - South Carolina
25. Mega Millions: $393 million, Aug. 11, 2017 - Illinois

For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 15
• Mega Millions: 10

Top 25 cash value jackpots

Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth.

Looking at the cash value, the upcoming Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the 2nd-largest cash value in world history.

1. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
2. Mega Millions: $548.6 million cash, Oct. 19, 2018 ($970 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
3. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
4. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
5. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
6. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
7. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
8. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
9. Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
10. Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
11. Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
12. Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
13. Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
14. Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
15. Mega Millions: $281.9 million cash, Jan. 5, 2018 ($451 million annuity) - Florida
16. Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
17. Powerball: $273.9 million cash, Mar. 17, 2018 ($456.7 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
18. Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
19. Powerball: $258.2 million cash, Aug. 7, 2013 ($448.4 million annuity) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
20. Powerball: $254.7 million cash, Nov. 26, 2016 ($420.9 million annuity) - Tennessee
21. Powerball: $248 million cash, Oct. 20, 2018 ($430 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
22. Mega Millions: $246.5 million cash, Aug. 11, 2017 ($393 million annuity) - Illinois
23. Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
24. Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
25. Mega Millions: $230.9 million cash, Mar. 18, 2014 ($414 million annuity) - Florida, Maryland

The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 14
• Mega Millions: 11